How to Boost Your Energy without Coffee

Is coffee the only thing that gets you out of bed in the morning? There’s nothing wrong with enjoy coffee in moderation, as it does have some health benefits. But if you’re relying on it, it might be good to try some energy boosting tips. There are so many factors that can contribute to fatigue – stress, sleep, nutrition and lifestyle are just a few. But there are some natural energy boosters you can incorporate to counteract fatigue.

Move your body

This might be a surprise, but one of the best ways to address fatigue is with exercise. When you sit for long periods of time, circulation can be impaired, reducing the flow of blood to your brain. This means your cells can’t get enough oxygen to work efficiently.

But even a couple of minutes of movement can get the blood pumping again. Here are some quick and easy movement ideas to get you started:

  • Do a full body stretch for 1-2 minutes. Stretch out your neck, shoulders, arms, back and legs. If anywhere feels particularly tight or sore, spend an extra minute or two gently stretching that spot.
  • Go for a walk around the block.
  • Head to the mailbox to check the mail.
  • Get up and move around on your break instead of scrolling through Facebook.
  • Do some quick on-the-spot movements like jumping jacks, jogging on the spot or squats for 30 seconds.
  • Book in for a Personal Training session with me.

 Make your meals and snacks low GI

The simplest dietary change to make for all-day energy is choosing low GI meals and snacks.

Why low GI? Low GI foods will feed a slow and steady stream of energy into your body. This is because the other nutrients – protein, fibre and/or fat – slow down the absorption of glucose from the broken-down food. Foods that tend to be lower in GI are wholefoods – vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, wholegrains, eggs, meat and seafood.

On the other hand, high GI foods will give you a quick burst of energy, but then you’ll crash in an hour or two. Processed foods such as white bread, white pasta, most commercial cereals, white rice, sweetened yoghurts, lollies and milk chocolate are high in GI. Your afternoon chocolate snack is also considered high GI.

Looking for ways to tweak the GI of your food? Try:

  • Adding nuts, cheese or nut butter to your meals. Pimp my Salads does some amazing products to add yummy things to your meals. My favourite is Pimp My Salad: Super Seed Sprinkles Buddha Bowl
  • Including an extra serve of veggies with each meal
  • Switching processed grain products for wholemeal options

Drink more Water

Have you had enough water today? If you can’t say yes for sure, the answer is probably no. Very few people get sufficient water every day. But even mild dehydration of 1-2% can impact on your concentration, alertness, short-term memory and brain function. This can leave you feeling mentally exhausted.

Small steps are best for increasing water intake. Start with adding one cup of water when you feel fatigued. Give it an hour or two, see how you feel, and then add another. Even if dehydration isn’t the only cause of your low energy, it can’t hurt to include another cup or two!

Looking for more tips to help you get more H2O? Easy ways to boost your water intake Blog.

Summer foods to keep you hydrated Blog. 

Not a fan of plain water? Drinking herbal Tea is a great way to boost your water intake. My Organic Sweet rose Blend or Organic Calm Blend can both be enjoyed cold. Put a teaspoon of tea in cold water in your water bottle and leave overnight. Strain and enjoy throughout the day. This method that uses cold water to infuse rather than hot water is called cold brewing and allows for a smoother taste of the herbs.

Schedule a time-out

Sometimes, you’re tired because you just need a break already! You might not have hours to spare, but even 10 minutes can reboot your brain and energy levels.

Some good ways to give yourself a time-out throughout the day include:

  • Going for a walk around the block
  • Having a short nap
  • Meditation
  • Yoga
  • Taking 10 minutes to sit or lie down in silence
  • Go to the park for your lunch break and take off your shoes and feel the grass with your feet. Grounding can help ease stress and therefore help with fatigue.

Low energy can have many nutrient-related causes. If you’ve had chronically low energy levels, then book in for a discovery call with me, Denise and we can have a chat about the reasons that you may be feeling fatigued. Book a discovery call. 

Dee x